In an explosive interview with Piers Morgan, Manchester United outcast Cristiano Ronaldo revealed his true feeling about arch-rival Lionel Messi as a player and as a person. Read on to know what the Portuguese talisman had to say about the Argentinian icon:
Theirs is one of football's greatest rivalries. Legendary Portuguese striker Cristiano Ronaldo and Argentinian icon Lionel Messi have shattered almost every possible record in the game over the years and are lauded as two of the greatest players to have ever graced the sport. While the two superstars have left football fans divided for years now, there's no doubt that the two legends of the game continue to hog the limelight regardless of whether they are in action or away from the pitch.
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The upcoming FIFA World Cup 2022 in Qatar will be Messi's last outing on the world stage and, in all probability, be Ronaldo's last appearance in the grand tournament as well. All eyes will be on the two G.O.A.T.s as they strive to fire their nation to an emphatic win, which will enable the two stars to lift the coveted trophy for the first time in their illustrious career. Even as fans wait with bated breath to see their footballing heroes take centre stage, the Manchester United striker has revealed his true feelings about the Paris Saint-Germain (PSG) star.
In an interview with Piers Morgan, Ronaldo shockingly admitted to having felt 'betrayed' by Manchester United, his equation with Erik ten Hag, the evolution of the club after the Sir Alex Ferguson era and more. In the 90-minute chat, the Portuguese talisman also revealed what he thought about his arch-rival Messi as a player and a person. "Amazing player, is magic, top. As a person, we share the stage 16 years, imagine, 16 years, we share. So, I have great relationship with him," the 37-year-old superstar said.
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"I'm not friend of him (Messi) in terms of, what I mean friend is the guy who is with you in your house, speaking on the phone, no, but it's like a teammate. He's a guy that I really respect the way he always speak about me. Even his wife or my wife, my girlfriend, they always respect and they're from Argentina. My girlfriend is from Argentina. So good. What I am going to say about Messi? A good guy who does everything for football," Ronaldo added.
Piers Morgan cheekily asked Ronaldo if he would like to grab dinner with Messi sometime, to which the Portugal international said, "Why not?" While it's been some time since fans witnessed the Ronaldo vs Messi rivalry on the field, they will not forget the times when the two stars clashed in La Liga and the Champions League while playing for Real Madrid and Barcelona, respectively. While their goalscoring records are remarkably similar, Messi has provided significantly more assists but Ronaldo has been more prolific from the penalty spot in their El Classico battles. The seven-time Ballon d'Or scored 21 goals, 11 assists and 6 penalties, while the Portuguese icon scored 20 goals, 1 assist and 9 penalties.